


Loose Ends

by Kessy_Athena



Category: Bata Neart, Little Witch Academia
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 07:15:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24467050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kessy_Athena/pseuds/Kessy_Athena
Summary: Akko and company encounter the mystery of a young girl who was offered admission to Luna Nova when the school was first founded and who has now reappeared in modern Ireland.  It seems that the spirit of Beatrix Cavendish has unfinished business that will draw in both old friends and new.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Ursula Callistis | Chariot du Nord & Croix Meridies
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A crossover between LWA and the webcomic Bata Neart. http://rawrtacular.com/bataneart/
> 
> Love stories are kind of out of my wheelhouse as a writer, so I'm treating Akko and Diana as an established couple and their relationship is not the focus of the story. Later chapters will delve into Chariot and Croix's relationship, although I will leave it up to the reader to decide if that relationship is romantic or not. Okay, so I'm pretty sure I already know how 90% of you will take it, but hey, whatever works. ;-)

Long ago, in ancient Ireland, a young girl of perhaps twelve years of age was running for her life. The night shrouded forest closed in around her, forcing her to flee from her pursuers blindly. Breathing hard, heart pounding in her ears, leaves slapping her face and branches catching at her clothing and tangled blond hair, the girl still heard every sound they made. The eerie "K'Tic, K'Tic" noises were punctuated by the occasional lingering howl, "Arooooooooo!" as they glided through the trees after her. The girl tripped over a root and tumbled down a short slope. Trying to get up, her ankle wouldn't support her. Turning in terror, she saw the shadowy forms of her pursuers emerging from the trees.

"Murowa!!"

The commanding voice rang out behind her as a bolt of magic lanced out, striking the nearest pursuer. As one, they howled in anger. Turning, the girl saw the glowing figures of two women emerge from the gloom, wands held out, magic wreathing them in power. The taller of the two, her dark hair streaming behind her, her green eyes blazing with a fierce light, spoke a ringing command, " _Recedere, turpi bestias!_ " (Latin: "Begone, foul beasts!")

The shadowy forms melted away into the forest. The two witches watched warily, not letting down their guard until the last, "K'Tic" had faded into the distance. The shorter of the two lowered her wand and stepped forward, her long wavy blond hair flowing behind her, smiling kindly at the girl. "Are you all right?" she asked in accented Irish.

The girl nodded. "My ankle..."

"Is it all right if I take a look at it?"

"Mmm."

The witch knelt and gently examined it, the touch of her fingers easing the throbbing pain. "It doesn't look too bad, you just sprained it. My name is Beatrix. Beatrix Cavendish."

"I'm Aine."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Aine. My friend is Woodward. Don't worry, she's only scary to evil things." Beatrix winked knowingly, eliciting a small smile from Aine.

Woodward, who had been carefully watching the surrounding woods, said something short and sharp in Latin which Aine didn't understand. Beatrix stood and a familiar voice rang out from the trees. "Leave the girl alone! She's mine!"

Aine sat up and called out, "Muinteoir! It's all right! They helped me - they chased away the Fomorians!"

With a slight rustling of leaves, an imposing woman dressed as a druid priestess stepped slowly into the open. She held a staff at the ready, its ornate round head with an intricate branching design and embedded beads crackling with magical energy as she eyed Woodward and Beatrix warily. "Are you hurt, Aine?"

"I, err, hurt my ankle but I'll be all right."

Beatrix held up her hands placatingly as she stepped toward Muinteoir, being careful not to come between her and Aine. "We're travelers. We saw Aine being chased by some creatures so we helped. We don't mean any harm."

Muinteoir regarded her suspiciously, carefully considering Beatrix's accent and her and Woodward's foreign clothing. "You're Romans? Why are you in Ireland?"

"Yes, we're from Brittania," replied Beatrix. "We've heard stories of the Battle Witches of this land and we'd like to learn more about them. Am I right to think that you are one of them?"

Muinteoir nodded curtly to Beatrix and addressed Woodward in perfect Latin. " _And what about you. silent one?_ "

Woodward and Beatrix exchanged a surprised look. Woodward smiled, " _I'm afraid my Irish isn't good enough to hold a conversation. We would very much like to learn from you, if you are willing to share your wisdom._ "

Muinteoir regarded Woodward appraisingly for a moment, before lowering her staff. " _Well, you are certainly polite. For Romans. We can speak, but first I must attend to my Aine._ "

Beatrix interjected gently, "Aine just twisted her ankle. I was about to heal it when you arrived. If you'd like, I can treat her while you talk to Woodward."

"Hmmm, well I would be interested to see how you use magic. What do you think, Aine? Are you all right with Beatrix treating your ankle?"

"Ummm, yes, Muinteoir, if it's all right with you. Beatrix seems nice."

"All right then." Muinteoir nodded to Beatrix and turned to Woodward. " _So, now that we have the polite nothings out of the way, why don't you tell me what you're really looking for?_ "

Woodward chuckled, " _Straight to business, then? It's true that we're on a bit of a quest..._ "

Beatrix came over to sit beside Aine, taking out her wand. "Don't worry, this will just take a minute." She then began softly reciting an incantation.

"Thank you for saving me. I thought the Fomorians were going to get me for sure."

Beatrix smiled. "Well, we couldn't very well have stood by and let those creatures eat you, now could we? There, how does your ankle feel now? Better?"

Aine experimentally moved her foot and smiled. "Yes, it's all better now, thank you." She cocked her head, her attention caught by what Muinteoir was saying.

" _...You really think you can reconstruct the entire world, Woodward? Strengthen the magic of the Earth itself?_ "

" _Yes, I'm certain of it. We just need one thing..._ "

Beatrix followed Aine's gaze. "Do you understand Latin, Aine?"

"A little. I can't follow everything they're saying. But it does seem that Muinteoir has taken a liking to your friend."

"Yes, they do seem to be getting along."

Muinteoir gazed off into the distance thoughtfully. " _Well, there is the legend of the Claiomh Solais. Although it is said that only those who prove themselves worthy can wield it..._ "

Aine turned back to Beatrix. "So are you and Woodward Roman battle witches?"

Beatrix smiled. "Well, we are witches, but we avoid battles whenever we can."

"That... sounds nice. So you just heal people?"

"There are many things we do with magic, but I do think of myself as a healer first. It's very rewarding to be able to take away people's pain and make them well again."

"I wish I could do that."

"Well, perhaps you can learn to. Here, take my wand. Hold it like this. Just concentrate on the tip, see if you can gather some magical energy there."

Aine took the wand and closed her eyes. Almost immediately a bright globe of magic sprang forth from the tip, illuminating the forest with a gentle green glow. Beatrix looked surprised and both Woodward and Muinteoir turned to watch.

"That's impressive," commented Woodward in broken Irish.

Muinteoir smiled and looked thoughtful. "I always felt you have a lot of potential, Aine."

Aine smiled as the magic glow faded and she handed the wand back to Beatrix.

Beatrix turned to Muinteoir looking amused, "I'd say that's a bit of an understatement."

Muinteoir laughed, "Perhaps so."

Beatrix continued, with a note of hesitation in her voice, "I don't mean to pry, but if I may ask, do you intend to teach Aine magic?"

"Oh yes, Aine is my apprentice although she's just begun to learn the basics. I have no doubt that one day she'll earn her place as a battle witch."

In a carefully neutral tone, Beatrix said, "There are other uses for magic than battle."

Muinteoir smiled, "I heartily agree with that. Don't read too much into the title, 'battle witch.' Although I admit I know some who revel in it. Once Aine becomes a full fledged witch she'll have to choose her own path."

"Then perhaps she could learn from me as well? Woodward and I have started a school for young witches back in Britannia. If you are willing Aine would be most welcome to come study at Luna Nova once she's grown."

"That's a very generous offer, Beatrix," Muinteoir replied, "But I don't know if it would be possible. There's a lot going on here in Ireland..."

Aine gave Muinteoir an imploring look.

Muinteoir relented a bit. "But it will be some time before my Aine is old enough for that. A lot can happen between now and then. Perhaps if fortune smiles on us, she'll be able to take you up on it some day."

\-----

Many centuries later, in Luna Nova's Hall of the Nine Olde Witches, Headmistress Holbrooke sat at her desk examining the applications and recommendations for admissions for the upcoming semester. It was a somewhat tedious task that could have been delegated to Professor Babcock, but it was something that she enjoyed doing herself. The old witch had overseen countless classes of new students, and she never tired of the anticipation of seeing what new talent would be coming to Luna Nova's hoary halls.

Suddenly, the windows behind her burst open, pushed by an intense gust of wind. "Oh my!" she cried as she clutched at her hat and the papers on her desk were blown all over the room. The diminutive teacher rose and grabbed at the windows.

"Now just what was that?" she asked of no one in particular as she refastened the windows. "It's not the season for that kind of wind." As she was preoccupied with the task, a spectral presence flitted through the room and an additional piece of parchment fluttered down to join the papers on the floor.

Holbrooke gathered up the scattered papers and paused as she came across the document that had been added. "Well now, what do we have here? Just where did you come from?" The document was quite old and obviously out of place among the others. Holbrooke started to move back to her desk but paused at a soft crunching sound. Looking down she realized she had stepped on an odd crescent shaped leaf. It was of a kind that she had only seen on a few occasions before in her time at Luna Nova. "Well now, this _is_ interesting."

Meanwhile two students were riding double on a broom in the clear skies above the school. The girl in the rear position seemed a bit uncomfortable. "Do you really think this will help me improve my flying, Diana?" she asked her companion.

"Well, it certainly won't make it worse, Akko. Now grip the broom tightly and concentrate. Try to feel the flow of the magic as I fly."

"It's kind of hard to concentrate with my hands right next to your butt, you know."

"It doesn't bother me, so don't let it bother you. You should get used to such things and not let them distract you from your magic."

"Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say..." Akko muttered, then suddenly her eyes went wide and she nearly shouted, "Hey, wait a minute! Did you just imply what I think you just implied?!"

"Concentrate, Akko!" Diana snapped reprovingly, but there was an unmistakable twinkle in her eye.

Grinning, Akko flung her arms around Diana's waist, "So that's the real reason you wanted to take me for a flying lesson, huh?"

The broom lurched a bit at Akko's sudden movement, belying Diana's words. "Don't be absurd. Now are you going to take this seriously or not?"

"Fine, fine, Let's all just keep our minds on flying," replied Akko good naturedly as she shifted her position to grip the broom. Doing so, she noticed a small light ascending toward them from the school. "Hey Diana, I think there's a fairy trying to catch up with us."

"Oh?" said Diana as she paused their flight and turned to see. "And it looks like it's carrying a note."

The two descended to meet the diminutive creature, which called out to them in a tiny voice as they approached, "Diana! Diana!"

Diana held out her hands and the fairy dropped the note into them. She smiled warmly at the fairy, "Thank you very much." The fairy did a mid-air curtsey and fluttered off, returning to the school.

Akko strained to peer over Diana's shoulder as she opened the note. "What is it? What's it say?"

"The headmistress wants to see us." replied Diana, reading.

"Gi!" exclaimed Akko in alarm. "Whatever it is, I didn't do it!"

Diana looked amused. "Let me rephrase that. She wants to see me, and says that you're welcome to come along if you want."

"Oh well that's totally different! So what does she want with us?"

"I don't know," Diana replied as she guided the broom toward the school building, "She just says that she's discovered something interesting. She also says to meet her in Professor Ursula's room."

"Well that's unusual. I wonder what's up?"

"There's only one way to find out."

The two of them set off for the top of Luna Nova's north tower, and turning a corner encountered Sucy and Lotte going in the same direction carrying their brooms.

"So what kind of trouble have you gotten us into this time, Akko?" asked Sucy irritably.

"I swear I'm innocent!" Akko cried as Lotte chuckled.

"I take it you two were also summoned by Headmistress Holbrooke?" Diana asked.

Lotte nodded. "She sent a pretty odd note. She said we should come ready to travel. Oh, and that we should bring Akko's broom," she said, handing over the extra broom she'd been carrying.

Akko took her broom with a small exclamation of delight and practically embraced it, muttering, "There you are! I hope you don't mind that I was riding on Diana's broom. You're _my_ broom, so don't be jealous, okay?"

Sucy poked Diana in the side, wearing a wicked grin. "Maybe you're the one who should be jealous, Diana."

Diana looked on, appearing slightly bemused. "I can't say I wholly disagree with you on that, Sucy."

Lotte laughed nervously, "Ahaha, come on guys, you know how happy Akko's been ever since she's been able to get off the ground with her broom."

Sucy sniggered. "Get off the ground, sure. Staying off the ground is another question."

Akko gave Sucy a dirty look and then shifted gears in the blink of an eye, exclaiming, "But enough of that! Adventure calls! Mystery calls! Professor Holbrooke calls! Let's go!" And with that she charged up the tower stairs enthusiastically, the others following in her wake.

As they approached Professor Ursula's door, they could distinctly hear Professor Babcock exclaim in a sour tone from inside, "This is really most irregular, Headmistress! Most irregular indeed!"

The four girls exchanged surprised looks, and Diana knocked on the door. "It's Diana. You sent for us?"

Professor Holbrooke answered, "Ah, Diana, do come in."

The group walked in to find the room filled with a projected star chart with the tracings of a personal horoscope etched on it. Professors Ursula and Badcock were both staring up at the chart, Ursual looking intrigued and Badcock looking annoyed. Even Ursula's crow familiar, Alcor, seemed to be looking at the chart with interest. Holbrooke was borrowing Ursula's desk to write something, and glanced up as they entered. "Ah good, you're all here. I believe you'll find this interesting. Could you show them the document, Professor Badcock?"

Badcock nodded and handed Diana the parchment Holbrooke had found earlier in her office.

Akko peered over Diana's shoulder and exclaimed, "Ooo, I recognize that language! It's Latin, right?"

"Yes it is," Diana replied, "This is a recommendation for admission."

"A really old one," Sucy commented dryly.

"Aine de Momonia?" Akko read awkwardly.

"It's pronounced 'AWN-ya.' 'De Momonia' just means she's from Munster, a province of Ireland," Diana explained.

"You should look at who made the recommendation, Diana," Holbrooke said, "That's the reason this concerns you."

Diana's eyes widened slightly as she scanned down to the bottom of the page, "Beatrix?"

Akko exclaimed, "Oh! Beatrix Cavendish? As in your ancestor? As in one of the Nine Olde Witches? As in..."

Diana cut her off, "Yes, Akko, there's only one Beatrix Cavendish." She looked to Holbrooke inquisitively. "But I don't understand, headmistress. This must be from one of Luna Nova's very first classes. It's certainly interesting historically, but..."

"It appeared on my desk rather mysteriously a short while ago," replied Holbrooke, "I checked the records and found that this Aine never actually attended, so I decided to ask Professor Ursula to cast a horoscope for her."

Diana looked up at the star chart, examining it curiously. "So this is her horoscope?"

With a grin that said she'd just been asked about her new favorite toy, Ursula replied, "Yes indeed! Not something you see every day, is it? Say, Akko, what do you make of this chart?"

Akko stared up at the ceiling, brows knit in concentration. "Let's see, this says... wait..." Looking puzzled, Akko traced the outlines of the chart with her finger. "But that's... no, I can't be reading this right. Errr... I'm not going to be graded on this, am I?"

"I'm as puzzled as you are, Akko," Diana commented as Ursula stifled a chuckle. Diana pointed to a section of the chart, "This seems to say that this Aine simply disappeared a millennium and a half ago and then reappeared, what? Half a year ago? How is that possible?"

Holbrooke finished her writing and was sealing up three envelopes as she said, "That is an excellent question, Diana, and I'd very much like to know the answer myself. However, I was wondering if you could shed any light on Beatrix's connection to her."

Diana shook her head. "I don't think so... Beatrix did travel extensively in Ireland. As I recall, she admired Gaelic culture and cultivated many friendships in Ireland, even if she did feel they were a little overly fond of warfare. Although... now that I think about it..." Diana trailed off uncertainly.

Holbrooke smiled encouragingly. "Anything would be helpful, Diana."

"I'm not at all sure about this, professor, but I think I remember reading one of Beatrix's letters where she mentioned that one of her Irish friends and her apprentice had been killed in a battle. I think the apprentice's name was Aine. But that hardly sheds any light on this."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," replied Holbrooke thoughtfully as she gazed at the projected twinkling stars filling the room. "Killed in battle an age and a half ago or alive and well today. An interesting conundrum."

Lotte had been studying the star chart and now pointed to the portion of the horoscope representing the present. "So what are these two stars that seem to be accompanying her?"

"It looks like Aine has friends," Ursula replied, "Those are two more witches whose fates have become linked with hers."

Holbrooke smiled fondly at Ursula. "Professor Ursula was able to discover some quite specific information about these girls so it shouldn't be too difficult to find them. So, how do you all feel about taking a field trip to Ireland? I was going to send Ursula to investigate and thought you might like to go along."

Akko bounced on the balls of her feet. "Oh, this sounds like fun! I've never been to Ireland. Let's go, guys!"

Still staring thoughtfully at the star chart, Diana said, "Yes, I'd definitely like to see what all this means."

Sucy muttered under her breath in a tone that everyone in the room heard clearly, "And I suppose it's just assumed the rest of us will get dragged along whether we like it or not."

Lotte looked at Sucy inquisitively, "You mean you don't want to go look for Irish toadstools? Anyway, I know I want to find out what's behind this."

Professor Badcock interjected in a disapproving tone, "At the risk of repeating myself, headmistress, this really is very irregular! I certainly agree this situation should be investigated, but I must protest your decision to offer these three admission sight unseen. We know next to nothing about them! They haven't gone through the application process at all, what if they aren't suited to Luna Nova? Besides, we admit students at the age of sixteen, not sixteen hundred!"

Holbrooke tutted placatingly. "There, there, Professor Badcock, they are only provisional admissions, and I am leaving it up to Professor Ursula to decide whether or not to actually offer them. I'm inclined to doubt that this Aine is actually over a thousand years old, and if she is then obviously she won't be coming as a student."

Badcock was not appeased. "While I respect Professor Ursula's judgement, final admissions decisions are normally made by the committee."

"I did ask if you wanted to go along yourself," Holbrooke replied with a look of perfect innocence.

Badcock looked uncomfortable, "As I said, it's rather a long trip for someone my age..."

Holbrooke smiled benignly, "Which is why I thought to send Diana along to advise Professor Ursula."

Akko shot Holbrooke a look that said clearly, "What about me?" which Holbrooke ignored.

However, the look did not escape Badcock's notice. "And what about the others? I hope you're not expecting Miss Kagari to advise Professor Ursula on admissions?"

"No, I'm sending Miss Kagari's triad because I think they would benefit from some field experience. Besides, as you know it would be quite difficult for Professor Ursula to make a trip like this on her own given what happened at Wagandea. While I'm sure Diana could manage alone, it seems prudent to me to send the others to help if need be."

Badcock paused, and recognizing the sense of that tried a different tack. "And what about these other two girls you're writing admission letters for? Even if this mysterious Aine is somehow the right age to be admitted, those two are definitely too old. And there's nothing enigmatic about their horoscopes."

"We've made exceptions to the age requirement before in unusual circumstances. And I think you'll have to admit that these circumstances are quite unusual. Besides, can we ignore a recommendation made by the founders of the school? Professor Badcock, I understand your anxiety about the uncertainties in this situation but please remember that we are not making any final decisions yet. There's no guarantee these girls will even be interested in attending Luna Nova. Have faith - fate and magic will surely guide us."

Badcock sighed, appearing to bow to the inevitable. "You're certainly right that I can't argue that these are very unusual circumstances."

Holbrooke smiled and walked over to hand Ursula the three envelopes, "Good, good, then it's decided! Have a good trip, all of you, and do bring me back some answers! Now you'll need to get going if you're to make your appointed meeting."

Holbrooke hustled them out of the room, and as they headed down the stairs, Akko turned to Ursula inquisitively. "What did Professor Holbrooke mean by our appointed meeting?"

"The stars indicate a very specific time and place we can meet these three witches," Ursula replied.

"So where are we going?" asked Lotte.

"A place called Wicklow, just south of Dublin. Apparently there's a music festival going on there."

"Oh!" exclaimed Akko, "A music festival! That sounds like fun. I wonder what sorts of food they'll have there?"

Sucy smiled wickedly. "I thought you said you'd had enough potatoes to last you a lifetime?"

Akko looked puzzled, "Well yeah, but what does that have to do with..." realization suddenly dawned, "Ah, Ireland! Oh no, not more potatoes!!"

Lotte chuckled, "Don't worry, Akko, I'm sure they'll have food other than potatoes there."

Akko sighed, "So anyway, what about these girls we're going to meet?"

Urusla handed Akko the three envelopes, which were admission letters. Akko read who they were addressed to. "Hmm, so we have Aine de Momonia, Ashling Connolly, and Aoife MacDonagh..."

Diana interjected, "It's pronounced 'EE-fa'."

Akko looked incredulous, "You're joking, right? A-O-I-F-E is pronounced 'EE-fa'? How in the world do you get 'EE' out of A-O-I?"

"It's Irish," Diana replied matter of factly.

"But..."

"The answer to all your questions on the subject is, 'It's Irish.'"

Akko took a moment to digest this. "It's really that bad, huh?"

"Just be glad we're not going to Wales." Diana answered.

"Why? What happens in Wales?"

"Consonants. Lots of consonants."

Akko sighed. "Fine. I'll just call her Blue. Easier all around."


	2. Chapter 2

On the other side of the Irish Sea the sun was shining warmly on Wicklow, a modest town nestled between the mountains and the coast an hour south of Dublin. The unusually nice spring weather had brought quite a crowd to the music festival. Delicious smells wafted from the line of food stalls and the vendors were doing a brisk business selling memorabilia and merchandise. The grassy pitch in front of the main stage was packed as the current band finished its last number and bowed off to thunderous cheers from the crowd.

One of those cheering the loudest was a short brunette bouncing up and down while holding onto the arms of her two companions. Her long hair was flying about with her enthusiasm, and her trademark lucky star bandeau was peeking out between her bangs. "That was awesome!" she shouted to her friends, "Wasn't that awesome, Ashling? I told you this band is great! What did you think, Aine? I've been wanting to take you to your first concert for ages!"

"Yes, Aoife, it was awesome," replied Ashling patiently as she tried unsuccessfully to extract her arm from her best friend's grasp. Taller than Aoife, her red hair clipped up in her signature double ponytail, Ashling had a lot of experience dealing with Aoife but she was starting to worry about the circulation in her arm.

Meanwhile Aine, the tallest of the three, her slightly wild blond hair still not entirely tamed by modern hair care, was just standing there with a bit of a dazed look in her clear blue eyes.

Ashling decided it was time for a distraction and said to Aoife, "But don't you think it's time to find a spot to picnic? I think the bands are taking a break for lunch anyway."

"Oh yeah, you're right!" cried Aoife, "And we'd better hurry or all the best spots will be taken!" She snatched up the satchel lying at her feet and darted through the crowd. "This way guys!"

Ashling squeezed Aine's shoulder and the two of them trailed after Aoife at a more sedate pace. "You okay, Aine?" Ashling asked. "Was it too loud for you?"

Aine smiled weakly. "Oh, it was grand. Like everything else in this time, it just takes a little getting used to. And I thought war pipes were loud."

"I keep telling you, you need to speak up. Aoife means well, but she's no mind reader."

"Honestly, Ashling, I'm grand. And it looks like Aoife's found a spot."

Aoife was indeed waving enthusiastically to them, having already spread a blanket on a grassy spot that to Ashling's eyes looked for all the world exactly identical to every other grassy patch in the fairgrounds. The two of them walked over to join her as Aoife unpacked her bag.

Ashling raised an eyebrow as they sat down on the blanket. "Are you sure you brought enough food, Aoife?"

"Oh, I think so," Aoife replied as she pulled more food from the bag than it seemed capable of holding, "I brought sandwiches, some fried chicken, some potato salad... oh no!"

"Is something wrong?" Aine asked, looking alarmed. Ashling just looked amused.

Aoife looked crestfallen. "I can't believe I did something so stupid!"

"Don't tell me, you forgot the crisps?" asked Ashling with a smile.

Aoife sighed, "No, I forgot the tea. The thermos is still in my fridge." Abruptly she jumped to her feet and dashed off toward the food stands. "I'll just go buy us some drinks!" she called over her shoulder.

"Aoife! Watch where you're going!" Ashling called back.

"Haha! You worry too much, Ashling!"

Aine smiled as she watched Aoife run off. "She's so adorable when she gets enthusiastic about something."

Ashling snorted. "That's most of the time. And I don't think 'adorable' is the word I'd use."

"I'd be worried if you did," Aine replied teasingly.

"Ha! You know I'm much happier now that you're occupying her attention," Ashling shot back while reaching for a sandwich. "Oh for...!"

"What is it?"

"That silly girl forgot her wallet. I'd better go catch her," Ashling said as she jumped up in pursuit of Aoife.

At about the same time, the five witches from Luna Nova had just entered the fairgrounds and were looking around the crowded event, attracting a few curious glances from the festival goers in return.

"So this is Ireland, huh? Well it's certainly a nice day." Akko observed conversationally to no one in particular as her gaze roamed, drinking in the sights.

"Indeed, the Emerald Isle itself," Diana commented with an indulgent smile.

"Actually, I believe we're not too far from where Professor Finnelan grew up," Ursula added in a slightly distracted tone as she gazed around at the sea of faces.

Akko stopped short at that, an astonished look in her eyes, and loudly exclaimed, "No way - I don't believe it!"

Diana looked puzzled. "You don't believe that someone named Finnelan is Irish?"

"No," replied Akko, folding her arms with a slightly smug smile on her face, "I can't believe that Professor Finnelan was ever a kid!"

Lotte suppressed a chuckle and gently smacked her on the arm. "Akko! That's a terrible thing to say!"

Looking grumpier than usual, Sucy pulled at Ursula's sleeve. "So, Professor, we're supposed to find three girls somewhere in all of this and we have no idea what they look like?"

Ursula smiled in embarrassment, "I know, it seems a bit daunting, but the stars don't lie. I'm sure that destiny and magic will guide us."

"So in other words we have no idea what we're doing," Sucy grumbled.

Akko slapped her friend on the shoulder, eliciting a glare in return. "No worries! No worries! I'm sure we'll find them, and if worse comes to worse we can always just enjoy the festival."

Lotte, who had been reading a flyer she picked up at the entrance, commented, "Yeah, it says that Animation Overload is playing later. They're supposed to be really good."

"You know the band, Lotte?" Diana asked curiously.

Lotte adjusted her glasses, looking a bit embarrassed, "Oh, well, my Mom is really into indie rock, so I've kind of heard of them."

"So if this is a music festival, how come there isn't any music?" Akko interjected impatiently as she continued to scan the event.

"It's lunchtime, Akko, the bands are on break," Lotte replied placatingly.

"Lunchtime?!" Akko exclaimed, her expression immediately brightening, eyes shining.

Lotte chuckled. "As always, Akko's head is full of food."

"I think there are some food stands over that way," Urusula provided helpfully, pointing.

"Oh boy! I can't wait to see what they have!" Akko cried, dashing off.

"Akko, don't run!" Diana cried reprovingly.

"Don't worry, Diana, I'm fine!" Akko called over her shoulder.

And like two lodestones drawn inexorably together by the forces of the universe, Akko's and Aoife's paths converged as they ran headlessly onward until they collided headlong into each other, tumbling to the ground in a tangle of legs and arms.

"I-ta-ta-ta-ta!" cried Akko as she disentagled herself and sat up. "Sorry about that, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Don't worry, it was my fault really," replied Aoife.

Ashling came running up looking concerned. "Aoife, are you all right?"

Akko blinked in surprise. "Your name is Aoife?"

"Yeah, Aoife MacDonagh."

Akko grinned ear to ear and exclaimed, "Ha! I knew it! You're Blue!"

It was Aoife's turn to blink in surprise. "I am? Ashling, have I changed color?"

Looking thoroughly confused, Ashling could only reply, "Umm, no?"

"You'll have to excuse Akko, she's just being silly," said Diana as she walked up with the rest of the Luna Nova contingent. "She was having trouble trying to figure out how to read your name, so she decided that since A-O-I means 'blue' in Japanese..."

Aoife laughed, "Oh yeah, it does, doesn't it? Hey Ashling, what color do you want to be?"

"Oh no, you leave me out of this," Ashling replied with a wry smile.

Aoife turned to Akko. "So you're Japanese? That's so cool! I have a part time job at a shop that imports manga and merchandise from Japan..."

Just then Aine emerged from the crowd and stopped short, gasping audibly, "Be-!" She clapped her hands over her mouth, staring wide eyed at Diana.

Diana started at Aine's exclamation, then smiled. "Hello, would you by any chance be Aine de Momonia?"

Aine seemed to relax as Diana started speaking then looked confused. "Umm, yes? I suppose I am? ...No one's ever called me that before... Errr..." As Aine fumbled for words, she kept looking away from Diana as if trying to force herself not to stare. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to stare, you just look exactly like someone I used to know a long time ago."

"You mean Beatrix Cavendish?" Diana asked gently.

Aine just nodded.

"Beatrix is my ancestor. I'm Diana Cavendish. I've been told I bear a certain resemblance to her."

"I thought you were Beatrix for a moment. Until you started speaking, anyway," Aine replied, still looking a little shell shocked.

"Oh?" Diana looked puzzled.

"Your voice. You sound completely different than Beatrix."

"Really? I had no idea..."

Ursula stepped up, apparently remembering that she had a job to do. "But we need to introduce ourselves. My name is Ursula Callistis, and these are my students, Sucy Manbavaran and Lotte Jansson. Of course you've already met Diana and Akko. It's nice to meet you all. Now if you're Aine de Momonia, and you're Aoife MacDonagh, that would make you Ashling Connolly?"

"Umm, yeah, that's me, but how do you know our names?"

"Well, the short answer is that I'm the professor of astrology at Luna Nova Magical Academy." Aine looked startled at the mention of Luna Nova. "But the full answer is a bit of a story. Perhaps we should find a place to sit and talk?"

Aoife suggested, "We were just getting ready to have lunch. Why don't you guys get something from the food stands and we can talk?"

Akko visibly brightened at the suggestion and Ursula nodded. "That sounds like a good idea."

As the group headed toward the food stalls, Akko nudged Sucy. "See? I told you we'd find them."

Sucy shrugged. "Akko, you truly give new meaning to the phrase, 'dumb luck.' Only you could literally run into the people we're looking for."

Akko grinned, "Hehe, I'm just happy to be having good luck for once."

Lotte interjected, "True, at least you didn't get us eaten by a ghost this time."

Aoife looked intrigued, "Eaten by a ghost? That sounds like a story I'd want to hear."

"I'll tell you all about it later," promised Akko with a smile.

During this exchange Aine had been being very quiet, with a far away look in her eyes. Aoife stepped up next to her and asked, "Something bothering you?"

Aine hesitated. "It's just... Luna Nova was the name of Beatrix's school, back then."

Ursula smiled. "Yes, Beatrix Cavendish is one of the Nine Olde Witches, the founders of our school."

"And the school is still there?" Aine smiled sadly. "Beatrix would have been happy to know that."

They spent longer getting lunch than anyone anticipated - Akko seemed determined to sample everything on offer. But soon enough they had all gathered back at Aoife's picnic. As they all shared a meal, Ursula explained to the three Irish teenagers about the ancient recommendation, the horoscope, and how they had created so much interest at Luna Nova.

As Ursula finished speaking, Aine sat lost in thought, staring at her hands in her lap. "After all this time..." she said softly, almost to herself. "Beatrix promised that I could come study at Luna Nova one day. She always said that she was looking forward to teaching me. And now..."

Aoife rubbed Aine's shoulder reassuringly. Ursula looked unsure what to do. After a moment of quiet, Diana spoke softly, "Do you want to tell us your story, Aine? Or perhaps it should wait until later?"

Aoife started to reply, but Aine stopped her with a gesture. "It's all right, I don't mind talking about it," Aine said. "I was an apprentice battle witch of Munster. When the kingdom went to war with Leinster, my Muinteoir had to go fight and I went with her." Aine paused for a beat, grimacing at the memory. "I suppose the war went well for us, although it was at a terrible cost. Eventually we chased Leinster's army into these mountains. Everyone believed that we were close to the final battle, and one day once we made camp the war leaders called Muinteoir to a secret council to cast an oracle for them. I don't know what was said there, but when Muinteoir came back she had a grim look and refused to tell me what was going on. She told me to come with her and we left camp and walked into the forest. We walked for hours, hardly speaking. Finally we came to a fairy cave and went inside. She told me that she was going to put me to sleep to protect me from what was to come. I begged her not to. I told her that whatever was to happen I wanted to face it with her. She... she looked so sad, and told me that I had been like a daughter to her, but that fate had chosen a different path for me..." Aine trailed off. She wiped away a tear and took a deep breath before continuing. "She froze me in magical ice, and I slept for so long. So very long. Until these two came and woke me up." Aine smiled warmly at Ashling and Aoife, who both looked a bit embarrassed.

"Aww, we didn't do that much. At least I didn't," said Aoife.

"If you make another joke about me breaking the ice, I swear I'll hit you," Ashling said with a sidelong look at Aoife.

"You rescued me. Both of you. I would have slept forever if you hadn't come for me," Aine said in a very matter of fact tone that left no room for argument.

There was a pause, and then Akko leaned forward, "Aww, come on guys, this sounds like a real adventure! Tell us what happened - how did you know where to look for Aine? Was it an ancient prophecy? Did a wise old witch give you an epic quest?"

Aoife sniggered. "Well, actually, Ashling had a dream about going hiking in the nude."

"Aoife!" Ashling cried in an outraged tone, blushing.

"Oh, our Ashling can be quite the nudist, don't you know?" Aoife continued with a mischievous grin.

"Cut! It! Out! You!" Ashling exclaimed, punching Aoife in the arm with each word.

Sucy chortled gleefully. "Oh I can tell you guys are going to be all kinds of fun to have around."

Akko was barely containing her own laughter, and even Lotte looked like she was straining to suppress a giggle. Ursula was hiding her eyes behind her glasses. Only Diana's expression of polite interest never wavered.

Ashling sighed. "All right, I'd better tell you the real story before Aoife thinks of another way to embarrass me. I suppose it really all started with this." She reached under her collar and pulled out a necklace she was wearing. At its end was a circular wooden pendant with an intricate branching design that had several beads incorporated into it. "This is... Well, I suppose it doesn't look like much, but, umm..." Ashling trailed off in embarrassed silence.

Aine put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Ashling. They're witches. They'll understand. Just show them."

Ashling took a deep breath and exclaimed, " _ Mor! _ " With a flash the pendant transformed, growing into a staff. "This... is the Bata Neart."

"Oooo...!" crooned Akko as all of the Luna Nova witches leaned forward with interest.

Ashling continued hesitantly. "Ever since I found it... Well, maybe I should say that it found me... But sometimes it kinda... tells me things. And one night in a dream it showed me the old military road in the mountains and the path to the cave and told me to go find Aine."

"Oh wow, that's so cool, Ashling!" Akko exclaimed enthusiastically. "It's like an Irish Shiny Rod! You must be destined to do all kinds of cool stuff and..." Seeing how flustered Akko's outburst was making Ashling, Diana put a restraining hand on Akko's shoulder, wordlessly shaking her head.

Ursula smiled reassuringly at Ashling. "I take it the Bata Neart came to you unexpectedly?"

Ashling grinned ruefully, "You could say that, yeah."

"Then I imagine it must feel like quite a burden."

Asling nodded emphatically.

"Would it be all right if I examined it?"

Ashling hesitated. "Err, I don't mind, but it might. This stick is kind of particular about who handles it..."

Ursula nodded. "I understand - then I won't touch it. If you could just hold it up... Yes, just so..." Ursula put out her left hand, holding it a few centimeters above the Bata Neart, and then in a soft, gentle gesture ran her hand over the length of the staff without making contact.

Ursula sat back, with a thoughtful look on her face. "I see. That is certainly something special, Ashling."

There was a pause, as if everyone was taking a moment to catch their breath. Aoife decided to break the silence, "So Luna Nova is a school that just teaches magic? That sounds really cool."

Diana smiled, "Yes, Luna Nova has been teaching the finest witches for more than fifteen hundred..."

Akko excitedly cut her off, much to Diana's annoyance. "Luna Nova is awesome! It's the school that Shiny Chariot went to!"

At the mention of Shiny Chariot, Ursula scratched her cheek and looked off into the distance.

"Shiny Chariot?" said Aoife, the pieces visibly clicking into place behind her eyes, "Oh! Of course! I knew I'd heard the name Luna Nova before..."

Akko grabbed Aoife's hand, eyes shining, "You know Chariot?"

"Yeah! I dragged my parents all the way to Dublin to see one of her early shows, it was a lot of fun. It's a nice memory for me."

"Another Chariot fan?!" Akko exclaimed excitedly, "I thought so before, but now I know we're going to be friends!"

With a mischievous twinkle in her eye but an otherwise straight face, Aoife said, "I take it from that you don't much care for Shiny Chariot?"

Sucy guffawed. Diana chuckled into her hand. The laughter proved contagious.

Once Akko had brought her giggles under control, she glanced forlornly at the remains of the picnic and jumped to her feet, declaring, "Well. we finished lunch, so it must be time to go get dessert!"

Aoife got up and said, "That sounds like a good idea, I'll go with you. Have you tried the caramel popcorn? They make it fresh for you here." The two of them strolled back to the food stands.

"I really am happy to meet another Chariot fan," Akko said as they walked. "Chariot's the reason I came to Luna Nova in the first place. I want to be a great witch like her who can make everyone smile!"

Aoife chuckled, "You really like her, don't you? So have you learned to do magic like her? I remember in her show how she kept transforming into one thing after another, it was awesome."

Akko looked a bit embarrassed, "Well, to be honest my magic isn't the best. I'm working hard on it, though! My transformation magic's gotten a lot better."

"Really? Can you show me?" asked Aoife, eyes shining.

"Err, well, I'm really not supposed to use magic off campus..."

"Aww, come on, what harm will it do?"

"Well..." Akko hesitated, then whipped out her wand and exclaimed, " _ Metamorphie Faciesse! _ " With a poof, Akko transformed into a mouse and looked up at Aoife. "Squeak?"

Aoife squealed in delight, "So cute - you're adorable like that, Akko! What else can you do?"

At about the same time, back at the group, Ashling was starting to look distinctly nervous. Diana took note and asked, "Is something wrong, Ashling?"

Ashling grimaced. "It's just... those two are taking an awfully long time just to get snacks. I'm starting to worry."

Diana nodded. "You're right, they are taking a long time. Perhaps we should go check on them?"

Asling got up, "Yeah, we'd better."

The two of them walked off in the direction Akko and Aoife had taken.

Diana said, "So, your friend, Aoife, she seems a bit... how should I put it?"

Ashling snorted. "Whatever you're thinking, 'a lot' is closer to the mark. And I'm kind of getting the feeling that Akko is cut from the same cloth."

Diana nodded, "They do seem a lot alike. Maybe we shouldn't have let them go off by themselves like that..."

Their conversation was cut short by a sudden loud commotion a short distance away. Before either of them could react, there was a loud trumpeting and a small orange elephant with enormous wing-like ears suddenly appeared flying over the crowd, with Aoife riding her back, whooping like a banshee. Diana and Ashling stared.

"Let me guess, the elephant is Akko?" asked Ashling.

"None other," replied Diana.

"We should really stop them."

"We should."

They both simply continued to watch with expressions of mixed exasperation and resignation as Akko soared over the crowd and then turned around for another pass.

Diana turned to Ashling and said in a deliberately loud and carrying voice, "I hope you won't judge Akko too harshly, Ashling. She really does have many good qualities."

Almost immediately Akko appeared at their side, back in human form, eyes sparkling. "I do? Really? Like what, Diana? Tell me, tell me!"

Diana smiled and patted Akko's head, "Well, for one thing, you're predictably easy to distract from mischief."

Akko blinked. "I am? Hey, wait a minute..."

"AKKO!!" Ursula came dashing up, looking upset.

"Acha..." muttered Akko.

Ursula confronted Akko, sounding more exasperated than angry. "What were you thinking? You know better than this!"

Ashling noticed Aoife a short distance away, trying to blend into the crowd and slip away. She reached out and caught Aoife by the arm. "Oh no you don't. I know you had something to do with this."

Aoife put on her best innocent look that merely served to further incriminate her. "I have no idea what you mean, Ashling."

Ashling gave her a glare, "So you're just going to let Akko take all the blame?"

"I, errr..." Aoife shuffled her feet and avoided meeting Ashling's gaze, then sighed. "I'm sorry, I pushed Akko to show off her magic."

Ursula gave Aoife a stern look, "Well thank you for being honest about it." She then turned back to Akko. "That doesn't let you off the hook. Really, in the middle of a crowded festival? What if you'd hurt someone?"

Akko just stared at her feet, abashed.

Ursula sighed. "Well, I think we've all had enough food. And you two have wandered off on your own enough as well. Come on."

They all returned to the picnic, where Lotte was looking concerned and Sucy was looking immensely amused. Sucy chuckled and said, "I can always count on Akko to make things interesting."

Aine was sitting with her hands in her lap, a distant look in her eyes. Aoife sat down next to her. "Everything okay?" she inquired gently.

"Hmmm? Oh, yeah," Aine replied absentmindedly, a wistful look in her eyes.

Aoife wordlessly poked her in the shoulder.

"Oh," Aine continued, "It's just... You know, things are so different now, it's almost like this isn't Ireland at all. Not my Ireland, at least. Most of the time I can almost forget - it's more like I'm here visiting some distant land. But having Diana here, Beatrix's who knows how many times great granddaughter... Suddenly I'm feeling just how far from home I really am, and thinking about all the people I'll never see again. I always really looked forward to Beatrix's visits..."

Aoife put her arm around Aine's waist and leaned her head on her shoulder. Aine gratefully returned the embrace.

Diana had been listening to this with a slightly disturbed look on her face, but then she smiled and knelt next to Aine. "You know," she said gently, "At my home we have a few mementos of Beatrix. A tapestry of hers, some of her writings... It may not be a substitute for seeing her again, but if you'd like to come visit you'd be most welcome."

Aine blinked away a tear. "Really? You'd let me do that, Diana?"

Diana smiled warmly. "Of course. It would be inconceivable for the House of Cavendish not to open its doors to a friend of Beatrix's."

Aine smiled in return. "Thank you. I... I'd really like that. I'll definitely come."

"Good! I look forward to having you," Diana replied. Noticing Aoife's incipient puppy dog eyes, she hastily added, "You're all invited, naturally."

"Yay!" cheered Aoife, "It's a party at Diana's place! Isn't that great Aine? And you're coming too, Ashling, don't even think of saying you're busy!"

"Right, right, of course I'm coming," said Ashling placatingly.

Urusla, who hadn't sat down, tapped Diana on the shoulder. They exchanged looks, and moved a short distance away as Aoife continued making plans. "So what do you think of them, Diana?" Ursula asked in a soft tone.

"They certainly have the talent," Diana replied.

"But are they Luna Nova material?"

"Oh, I think they'll fit in just fine."

Ursula smiled, "Agreed, but that's not really what I was asking."

Diana grinned, a slight glint of mischievousness in her eye, "Well, I'd say that they're more Luna Nova material than Akko was when she was admitted."

Ursula suppressed a laugh. "That I can't argue with."

Akko had come over to talk to Aoife and Aine, and had lent Aoife her wand. Fooling around with it, Aoife managed to release a fireball straight up into the air. It was unclear to either Diana or Ursula how deliberate that was.

"Besides," Diana observed, "I think it may be dangerous to leave them out here on their own without support or a proper magical education."

"Actually," Ursula replied, "I was thinking that about Ashling. That Bata Neart of hers is a powerful magical artifact."

"She did seem a bit overwhelmed when she was talking about it."

"Then we're agreed?" Ursula asked.

Diana nodded.

Ursula hesitated, then grinned. "You do realize that Professor Finnelan is going to be furious with us for bringing someone like Aoife to Luna Nova?"

Diana smiled. "You mean  _ another _ person like Aoife, don't you, Professor?"

Ursula laughed softly and walked back over to the group. "Aine, Ashling, Aoife, I have something for each of you," she called as she took out the acceptance letters and passed them out to each. The three of them looked at them with puzzled expressions.

Aoife ripped hers open and started reading aloud. "Academy of Luna Nova. By nomination of the coven the school of witchcraft has conferred upon Aoife MacDonagh acceptance and admission to study and practice the art of witchcraft... WOOHOO!!" Aoife jumped up, punching the air.

Ashling stared at her letter and muttered, "Oh boy, here we go again."

Aine looked at hers for a moment before hugging it tightly to her breast. She looked at Ursula with a hint of a tear in her eye and could only say softly, "Thank you."


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't long after the sun rose over Cavendish Manor and breakfast had been served when the arguing began.

"Honestly, Diana, must you drag more of your ragamuffin friends here?" demanded Daryl, Diana's imperious aunt.

Diana swallowed her toast, her face a carefully controlled mask. "I realize this is an inconvenience for you, Aunt, but my three friends will be arriving for lunch and only staying overnight until we all leave for Luna Nova tomorrow. It's not as if I'm asking you to entertain them."

Akko watched this exchange silently while hiding behind her orange juice.

Daryl sniffed. "You put such stock in the Cavendish legacy but can't be bothered to associate with witches with respectable magical lineages."

"In my experience a person's heritage gives no indication of their character," Diana shot back with perfect equanimity. "And in any event I haven't the faintest idea what their lineages are, nor do you."

"They're Irish hedge witches," Daryl declared with a voice dripping with contempt.

"Battle witches," corrected Diana in a matter of fact tone.

"The Irish are notorious for teaching magic to just anyone," said Daryl in an accusatory voice.

"So you're saying that someone Beatrix herself wanted as her student doesn't meet your standards?" asked Diana as if she were inquiring if her Aunt were going to take an umbrella with her today.

Daryl scowled, finished her coffee with a gulp and stood, "Well, do as you wish, Diana. I'm sure you will regardless." She turned and swept regally from the room.

Diana and Akko quickly finished their meal and left for Diana's room. As they walked, Akko sighed. "Man, I would have thought your aunt would have settled down after this past winter."

Diana looked amused, "She has, actually."

Akko shuddered.

Diana continued with the slightest hint of a teasing tone, "And she didn't even spare you a dirty look. For Aunt Daryl, that's being downright friendly. You must be growing on her - keep it up and she'll want to adopt you."

"Lucky me," replied Akko dryly.

They arrived back at Diana's room and Akko skipped through the doorway, then turned on her heel, a thought visibly having just occurred to her. "Oh, yeah, speaking of Aunt Daryl, I've been meaning to ask you - why  _ did _ you invite Aine and everyone here? I mean, I get the whole Beatrix thing, but you usually try to keep your friends as far away from your Aunt as possible. And it's not really like you to make an impulsive decision like that, either."

Diana smiled, "That's all true, but it wasn't entirely an impulsive decision. You remember that morning I mentioned that I'd had an unusual dream the night before?"

Akko nodded, "You said it had something to do with Beatrix?"

"Yes, I was walking down a forest path with her and we came upon three witches sitting on a log. One of them was crying and the other two were comforting her. I asked the one who was crying what was wrong and she said that she'd lost her home and would never see her family or friends again. Beatrix tapped me on the shoulder and suggested that we ask them to come home with us."

"Ahhh, so that's why you had that odd look when Aine started talking about being so far from home," Akko said with dawning comprehension.

Diana nodded. "Exactly."

Akko took a moment to digest this before asking, "So when do we need to leave to pick them up?"

Diana glanced at her watch. "Actually, we should get going soon. Are you sure you're up for this trip, Akko? I'm going to have three novice broom riders to shepherd through the leyline so I won't be able to keep as close an eye on you as I normally do."

"I'll be fine, Diana! I made it through the leyline last time without help, didn't I?"

Diana grinned, "You could say that, if you ignored that tree you almost crashed into when we were leaving Luna Nova, and that landing when we arrived..."

Akko playfully stuck out her tongue as she picked up her broom, "Meanie! But really, I'll be fine. And it's good practice for me, right?"

"I certainly hope so," replied Diana as she picked up her own broom and bundled three more with dark green ribbons under one arm.

A little later that morning, three figures could be seen climbing a hill overlooking Wicklow Town. Ashling trudged up the last stretch to the stone circle at the summit and flopped down on the grass next to Aoife. "Why in the world did Diana tell us to meet her here in the middle of nowhere?" she complained loudly.

Aine, not even winded by the climb, looked at her friend in amusement. "She said we'd be traveling by leyline, and this is the nearest one."

Ashling grumbled, "What does traveling by leyline even mean? We're just going to England, why can't we take a plane like normal people?"

Aoife patted her shoulder, "Aww, come on Ashling, this wasn't nearly as long a hike as it was to Aine's cave."

"The cave wasn't on top of a mountain!"

Aoife grinned and poked Ashling in the shoulder. "You're just annoyed that we're going on another magical adventure."

Ashling merely scowled in response.

Aine sat down next to the two of them. "We're just going to visit a friend, and then we're going to a boarding school, There really shouldn't be much adventure involved, you know."

"I sure hope you're right about that," Ashling replied sulkily.

Suddenly, a glinting green light appeared in midair above the center of the stone circle. It quickly grew into a column of light and then with a soft chiming sound opened into a glowing portal out of which Diana flew on her broom. "Good day to you all!" she greeted them cheerfully, "I hope we haven't kept you waiting."

"Not at all, we just got here ourselves," Aine replied happily.

"Iiieeeeehahahahahahahahahahahahaha...!!!" With a scream, Akko came shooting out of the leyline at high speed going straight up, climbing high above the hilltop before coming to a stop, then plunging down toward the ground. She managed to pull up just in time, landing on her feet. But she hadn't shed all her forward momentum and tripped, falling flat on her face.

Aoife rushed over, looking concerned. "Akko, are you okay?"

Akko suddenly sat bolt upright, "I meant to do that!"

Diana landed gracefully next to them and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Akko is tougher than she looks."

"You bet I am!" declared Akko. "Wait, does that mean you think I don't look tough?"

"Personally, I think you look cute," replied Diana. "And as far as I'm concerned that's much preferable to looking tough."

Akko grinned happily. "Ah! But we have presents for you guys!"

"School equipment," corrected Diana as she handed each of them one of the brooms she'd been carrying. Ashling took hers with a skeptical look, Aoife was brimming with enthusiasm, and Aine inspected her broom critically before nodding in approval. Diana continued, "I'll be teaching you the basics so you can follow us through the leyline." She held up a finger in Aoife's direction, "You can practice and experiment once we get to my home, for right now just concentrate on the task at hand."

"Why are you saying that to me?" Aoife protested innocently.

Ashling chuckled, "I think she's got you figured out, Aoife."

Akko patted Aoife on the shoulder. "Don't worry, when Diana says, 'practice and experiment,' she really means play around."

Diana looked slightly annoyed, saying, "Well, that can also be included. Now, the flight spell is  _ Tia Freyre _ ..."

Although Aoife and Ashling got off to a bit of an unsteady start, Diana soon had them all flying in tight formation. After a few circuits around the stone circle, Diana seemed satisfied and brought them to a halt. "Well done, that's very good for a first flight. Now I'm going to open the leyline. All you need to do is hang on tightly to your brooms and follow my lead."

Sounding dubious, Ashling asked, "Hang on tightly?"

"Well, entering a leyline can be a bit... unsettling," supplied Akko. "Especially your first time."

With the merest shadow of a grin on her lips, Diana commented, "As I recall, Lotte said you completely panicked your first time through."

"Exactly my point!" declared Akko.

Turning to the Irish trio, Diana smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. There's a bit of acceleration and, well, you'll see. But it really is quite safe, and I'll be keeping an eye on all of you."

And with that, Diana opened the leyline and guided the group into it. As they entered the portal, the Wicklow hilltop seemed to recede into the distance at a dizzying pace as they flew with a rush into the glowing passageway framed by root-like tendrils of energy. Ashling felt a bit nauseous. Her mood was not improved by Aoife shouting, "Woohoo!!" in her ear.

Nevertheless, they soon settled into a smooth flight and the rest of the trip to Cavendish Manor passed relatively uneventfully. It was punctuated mainly by Akko's occasional unanticipated deviations from her flight plan. Soon they were descending toward the manor. Diana ushered them inside and they settled down to lunch.

As they dug in to the finger sandwiches Aine looked around and asked, "Sucy and Lotte aren't here?"

"Ah, no, they couldn't make it," Akko replied. "Lotte's visiting her family and Sucy's... errr... 'busy.'"

Ashling raised an eyebrow. "Busy?"

"That's all she said," Akko explained. "With Sucy it's a little hard to tell what that means. Maybe she's just being grumpy and unsociable. Or then again she might be up to something it's best not to ask too many questions about."

"That does not give me a good feeling," replied Ashling.

Akko laughed, "It's most likely something involving mushrooms or poisons, which are her hobbies."

The look on Ashling's face fairly shouted, "What have I gotten myself into?"

"Don't worry, she hasn't killed anyone," said Diana reassuringly. "Yet."

"That we know about," added Akko helpfully.

Ashling's expression became more and more horrified and Diana patted her shoulder, saying, "Relax, Ashling, we're joking."

"Mostly," chimed in Akko with a grin.

"You can stop being helpful now, Akko," Diana said with an arched eyebrow. "Seriously, though, Sucy does collect poisons and has been known to test her potions on Akko, but I'd be shocked if she ever did anyone serious harm."

Ashling looked a little mollified and took a bite of sandwich. "Aoife, remind me not to get on Sucy's bad side."

"Aye aye, cap'n!" Aoife replied gamely.

The five teenagers quickly finished off lunch. "So, Aine, are you ready to take a look at the things we have of Beatrix?" Diana asked.

"Oh yes, I've been looking forward to it!" replied Aine eagerly.

Aoife looked at the ceiling, "Ummm, Diana, didn't you say something about practicing on our brooms once we got here?"

Akko grinned, "Sure, Blue, let's go play!"

Noticing the concerned look on Diana's face, Ashling sighed and said in a resigned tone,

"I guess I better go too and keep an eye on you guys."

A grin slowly spread on Aoife's face. "Hmm, you sure volunteered fast, Ashling."

"Well someone needs to keep you two out of trouble," Ashling replied crossly.

"Mmmhmm... could it be you were having fun learning to fly on a broom?" Aoife asked slyly.

Ashling huffed. "It's just something I need to learn to go to this magic school."

Aoife laughed and grabbed Ashling's hand, pulling her toward the door. "Come to the dark side with us, Ashling, we have cookies and fun games!"

Grinning, Akko grabbed Ashling's other hand, "Yeah, join us Ashling! Join us and give in to the fun side!"

Ashling rolled her eyes, "Honestly, you two!" Protesting weakly and trying not to smile, Ashling was dragged from the room by the two brunettes.

Once the three of them got outside, Aoife immediately took off on her broom. Ashling turned to Akko, "So, are we just going to fly around randomly, or do you have something planned?"

Akko considered for a minute. "Hmmmm, how about..." Akko suddenly tapped Ashling's shoulder, "...tag, you're it!" Akko immediately zoomed off on her broom giggling.

"Why you...!" Ashling mounted her own broom and took off in pursuit.

Aoife pulled up beside Ashling, "Hey, are we doing something?"

Ashling suddenly grinned wickedly and slapped Aoife's shoulder. "Yup! Tag, you're it!"

The three girls chased each other through the sky over the manor, laughing and shouting. Back and forth they flew, enjoying their game to the fullest. "It" passed from one to the other as they tagged each other enthusiastically. Aoife tagged Ashling while she was distracted by Akko, and Ashling exclaimed indignantly and pursued the both of them. Akko and Aoife flew off in opposite directions, and Ashling decided to chase Aoife. Aoife weaved and dodged, but Ashling stuck to her tail. Aoife started to pull ahead a little when suddenly Akko called out, "Watch out! Look where you're going, guys!"

Looking up, Aoife and Ashling realized they were headed straight for an upper story window of the manor. They turned hard. Ashling brushed the outside wall of the building before coming to a stop. However, Aoife went crashing straight through the window. She hit the floor inside and tumbled head over heels before coming to a stop.

Akko flew up to the window, exclaiming, "Aoife! Are you alri-" she stopped mid sentence as she saw inside the window. "Acha... Aunt Daryl..."

Ashling joined Akko at the window, peeking around her shoulder.

Aoife sat up and looked around to discover that she had landed in the middle of a comfortable sitting room immediately in front of an armchair occupied by Aunt Daryl, a book in her hand and a shocked expression on her face.

"Ummm, hi, I'm Aoife! Pleased to... meet..." Aoife trailed off as Daryl's expression slowly morphed from shock to rage.

"You..." said Daryl through gritted teeth.

"Me?" replied Aoife with her best innocent expression.

"...Get..." Daryl got to her feet, her knuckles whitening around her book.

"I can get you something? Sure, what do you need?" asked Aoife in a placating voice.

"...OUT!!" shouted Daryl as she grabbed her wand and magically threw Aoife and her broom back out the window, where she collided with Akko and Ashling. All three tumbled to the ground in a heap.

Daryl strode over to the window and leaned out, shouting at the girls, "And stay out of my private study, you vulgar hedge witches!" With that she magically repaired the window and slammed it shut.

"Well, someone sure got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," commented Aoife dryly.

Inside the manor, Aine looked up from a bound volume of copies of Beatrix's correspondence. She leaned back and stretched, then wiped a tear from her eyes. Diana put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

Aine nodded. "Yes. I just... Up until now I hadn't really thought much about what must have happened after the battle, with the people I left behind."

"Beatrix didn't give up looking for you until she really had no choice but to accept that you were in that mass grave."

"I know." Aine stood and walked over to the tapestry hanging on the wall, looking up at the image of Beatrix with her unicorn. "I really miss her."

Diana said nothing, and there was a long moment of silence that was somehow comforting instead of awkward.

Aine turned to her, "Diana, can I ask you something personal?"

"Of course," Diana replied without hesitation.

"How do you do it?" Aine asked earnestly.

Diana looked puzzled, "Do what?"

"Well..." Aine hesitated, looking up again at the tapestry. "Back then, I was an apprentice and it was always Muinteoir who made the decisions. She always seemed to know what to do. Beatrix was the same way. And then when I woke up suddenly it was just me and Aoife and Ashling. I was the only one who knew anything about magic. And... well..." she trailed off uncertainly.

"You wound up having to be the leader before you knew it?" supplied Diana with a knowing look.

"Exactly!" Aine replied. She continued, sounding unsure of herself and a little frustrated, "But I really don't know what I'm doing. Most of the time I'm making it up as I go and just hoping nothing bad happens. But you seem to be like Beatrix..."

Diana smiled kindly. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Aine. We're all just making it up as we go. Including me and Beatrix. Here, let me show you..." Diana picked up the book and leafed through it, looking for a particular letter. "Ah, here we go." Diana read from the Latin text.

_ "Woodward and I returned today from our trip to Durnovaria to interview some prospective students. While we were there a Saxon raiding party arrived without warning. Woodward had gone off on her own after one of the locals had told her about a purported fairy circle outside of town, so I was left alone with three teenaged girls to face a few dozen of the brutes. I was desperate! Even using magic I would have been hard pressed to defeat so many. So I did the only thing I could think of. I used a glamor to make myself look like a giant and started pronouncing all kinds of nonsense about this land being protected by a vengeful goddess who would exact a terrible retribution on any who defiled it et cetera et cetera. I couldn't believe my luck when the Saxons turned tail and ran for the Channel. And when Woodward got back she had the gall to congratulate me on my ingenuity! I could have strangled her, she knew perfectly well I'd gotten by with nothing more than a bluff!" _

Aine chuckled, "That certainly sounds like Beatrix and Woodward."

"It does, doesn't it?" replied Diana with a grin. They shared a laugh together before Diana continued, "So you see, none of us really know what we're doing. Certainly not all of the time! And from what the three of you have told me, it sounds like you've done pretty well, Aine."

"Thanks, Diana, that means a lot coming from you. I..." Aine stopped mid thought as the sound of a distant angry shout drifted in through the window. Diana's expression suddenly became pained and she rubbed her temple.

"Hu? Is that as bad as it sounds?" Aine asked.

"At a guess I'd say that Aoife just met my Aunt Daryl, so most likely yes," said Diana in a resigned tone.

"We'd better go check on them, then."

Outside, Ashling picked herself up and with a glance at the westerning sun said regretfully, "Well, it looks like we should probably call it a day for broom tag."

Aoife dusted herself off and glanced at Akko with a grin. "Actually, Akko, I've been meaning to ask about you and Diana."

Ashling rolled her eyes. Akko didn't notice and replied innocently, "What about us?"

Aoife sidled up to Akko, "Well you guys sure seem to get along well."

"Oh yeah," Akko said with a laugh. "It's funny though, when we first met we couldn't stand each other at all! I thought she was really stuck up and she thought I was a lazy good for nothing..."

"No, no," cut in Aoife, "I mean you two really  _ like _ each other, don't you?"

"These days, yeah. Ever since we got to know each other better last winter. Turns out we actually have a lot in common," Akko replied.

Aoife gamely pressed on, "Well it's good to have things in common with someone who's really special to you, isn't it?"

"Yeah, Diana is pretty special. She can do really amazing things, you know," Akko said conversationally.

Ashling had covered her mouth with her hands and was barely containing her laughter as Aoife rolled her eyes and asked, "Oh come  _ ooooon _ , Akko, you know what I mean..."

With a look of pure innocence and genuine puzzlement, Akko asked, "I do?"

"Love, Akko, love!" Aoife exclaimed, "You and Diana are in love with each other aren't you?"

Akko turned bright red and stammered, "Lo-love? Err, well... I mean... I guess... Ummmmm..."

Ashling guffawed and smacked Aoife on the back of the head, commenting acerbically, "Mind your business, you. After the way you reacted to Naomh asking about you and Aine, I'd have thought you'd learned better."

"Actually, we are seeing each other." Aoife and Ashling turned to see Diana walking toward them with Aine in tow.

"You are?" Aoife beamed with delight. "That's so wonderful, you guys make such a cute couple!"

"Err, well, thank you..." said Diana, slightly taken aback.

Aoife began to babble happily, "So have you guys gone on many dates? You must have done something really romantic! I can just see the two of you sharing a drink with two straws and gazing into each other's eyes..."

"I appreciate your well wishes, Aoife, " Diana interjected, "But the details aren't really any of your business."

"O-Oh.....” spluttered Aoife, “B-but I have some ideas that could help! Like I have this  _ one _ idea for a romantic evening and...“

"Aoife," Ashling tried to interrupt with a long suffering expression.

"...I've been doing some research on Blytonbury, I bet I know just the place..." Aoife continued heedlessly.

"Aoife!" Ashling cried forcefully, "They don't need your help!"

"But Ashling," said Aoife, barely skipping a beat, "It's young love just starting to bloom! I have to help nurture it!"

"If they don't want you to get involved you should probably stay out of it," said Aine in a tone that suggested she didn't expect to be listened to.

"But..." Aoife started to protest.

Wearing a stern expression, Diana gripped Aoife's shoulders forcefully. Aoife was suddenly struck by how much taller Diana was, by how the breeze lifted strands of her golden hair so that it caught the light, seeming to wreath her face. Diana's eyes glinted with a cold light, and she spoke in a ringing voice, "Aoife, it's a noble sentiment, but your assistance is neither required nor desired."

Aoife wilted slightly and said in a flustered voice, "Su-sure, Diana... S-sorry, I uhh..."

Diana's intimidating aura evaporated like the morning dew and she smiled, "It's fine, Aoife, so long as you understand."

Aoife pouted slightly, glancing at her friends. "You guys are all going to gang up on me on this, aren't you?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Diana and Ashling in unison.

Aoife sighed and said in a petulant voice, "Fine, I guess I don't have a choice. I'll be good, I promise."

Patting Aoife's shoulder Diana said warmly, "Thank you, I appreciate that."

The group adjourned inside, where Diana went over many of the basics of student life at Luna Nova. Akko grumbled about how she wished someone had done that for her before she'd arrived the previous year. Aoife insisted on trying on her new uniform and pressed the others into joining her impromptu fashion show. Dinner was served and promptly demolished by the hungry teenagers.

As the light faded and afternoon gave way to evening, they retired to a sitting room overlooking the lake and its guardian statue of a unicorn. Suddenly their conversation was interrupted as bright green light flooded into the room through the windows. Everyone gathered around to look out at the lake, where the sorcerer's stone that formed the horn of the unicorn was blazing brilliantly as the waters started to withdraw from around its base, opening a watery hall that extended down into the depths.

"What's going on?" asked Akko with a perplexed expression. "It's not an occultation of Venus tonight, is it?"

"Of course not," replied Diana as the others looked on in confusion and wonder. "I think... this is an invitation." Diana hesitated for just a moment then turned decisively to Aine, Aoife and Ashling. "If you could get your brooms, I believe that Lady Beatrix wants to see us."

"Wait, what?" cried Ashling as Diana led the way from the room. "I thought you said Beatrix died a long time ago?"

"She did," Diana explained as she picked up her broom, "But she was a powerful witch, so her spirit remains in the shrine under the lake."

"So we're going to see a ghost?" Ashling asked, looking even more unhappy with the prospect.

"It's fine, it's fine," reassured Akko, "I've been to the shrine before, and it's not like Beatrix has turned into a vengeful spirit or anything. This is normal..." Akko cut off what she was about to say as Diana gave her a sidelong glance, "...Well, not normal. Normally the shrine only opens to confirm a new head of the House."

"We need to have a conversation about the meaning of the word, 'normal,' Akko," Ashling commented with an incredulous expression on her face.

Moving outside, the five of them took to the air on their brooms. Following Diana's lead, they flew over the now swirling waters of the lake and approached the unicorn statue and the yawning chasm under it. They descended next to the column supporting the statue as it became covered in thick tree roots until they reached a platform with a large seal of a triskelion on it. The sound of rushing water filled the air as the three Irish teenagers looked around in wonder, moved by the solemn atmosphere of the shrine.

Diana stepped up to the central column and called out, "Lady Beatrix, we're here."

A soft green glow appeared, suffusing the area of the platform. Small flecks of green light appeared and gathered together, swirling in a swarm that solidified into the glowing, ethereal form of a woman. She took a step forward to stand on the platform before them and smiled warmly. "Hello, Diana, thank you for coming. Thank you all for coming."

Aine took a quick step forward as if to embrace the ghostly form, then stopped, hands outstretched, her eyes brimming with tears. "Beatrix! It really is you!"

Beatrix's smile widened and she beamed as she took Aine's hands. "Aine! It's so good to see you again. I can't tell you how happy I was when I found out that you were alive. And I am so pleased that you're finally getting to attend Luna Nova."

Aine smiled, "It's taken a bit longer than I thought."

Beatrix chuckled, "Yes, a bit." She put her hands on Aine's shoulders and leaned her forehead against hers. "Aine, I have a favor to ask of you and your friends, and you must all feel free to say no. You felt the change in magic and saw the missile incident this past winter?"

Aine nodded, "Of course. Was that Woodward's plan being completed?"

"It was. And Woodward is quite pleased with how it turned out. However, I feel that there is something left undone. There's a lost soul still trying to find her way back to the light. Will you help her? It won't be easy and she'll make it even more difficult, I'm afraid."

"Of course I'll do whatever I can," Aine replied without hesitation, then turned to the others, who all nodded in agreement.

Beatrix smiled again and squeezed Aine's hands in gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you all. Don't worry, you'll know what to do when the time comes. Aine, you've grown into a fine young woman and I have every confidence in you."

"Thank you," said Aine, looking both very pleased and a bit embarrassed.

Beatrix turned to Diana and smiled approvingly as she put her hands on her shoulders. "Diana, I am so very proud of you. That you chose to save your aunt and cousins even though it cost you the chance to complete the ritual proves that you are my true successor. I'm looking forward to confirming you as the head of the family. I know the Cavendish legacy will be safe in your hands."

Diana blushed and stammered slightly, "I... Thank you, I'll do my best to live up to your example."

Beatrix touched her forehead to Diana's and said, "I know you will." Beatrix then leaned in and whispered in Diana's ear, "And now just speaking as a proud grandmother, you two have my blessing in whatever choices you make about your future."

Diana's blush deepened into a glowing blaze, but she looked extremely pleased as Beatrix turned to Akko.

"Akko, always remember that you  _ are _ a magnificent witch. You've already accomplished more than most witches will in a lifetime. You can achieve anything you set your mind to, even if sometimes it's harder than it has any right to be." Beatrix then whispered in her ear, "And thank you for taking such good care of my Diana."

Akko grinned and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment, "Haha, just doing my part..."

Turning to Ashling, Beatrix said, "Ashling, I know you never wanted any of this. But please believe me that you have the strength and more to accomplish everything that's been asked of you. You are the right person in the right place for the right reasons. And you will find your own place in time. You're already surrounded by friends who will be there for you no matter what."

Ashling tried to stammer a response, but Beatrix gave her an understanding smile and a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Finally addressing the last of the group, Beatrix said, "Aoife, you are a good, kind, caring person. You thoroughly deserve the wonderful friends you find yourself surrounded by. And they are as blessed to have you in their lives as you are to have them. If you ever doubt it, just ask them."

For once, Aoife was at a loss for words. Aine put her arm around her waist, saying reassuringly, "She's right, you know."

Ashling squeezed Aoife's shoulder, "Yes, she is."

"You bet she is!" chimed in Akko, giving Aoife a big grin and throwing a V sign.

"Definitely," agreed Diana with a smile.

Aoife teared up. "You guys..."

Beatrix smiled warmly at them all, "But I'm afraid our time is short; the shrine is already beginning to close. Good-bye for now. Be good to each other and go with my blessing, my children."


End file.
